principality · Poland, Lithuania and Russia

Principality of Novgorod-Seversky

1097 CE – 1523 CE (approx.) · capital Novgorod-Seversky

A frontier principality of the Chernigov lands, home of Prince Igor, whose failed campaign against the Cumans inspired a great epic.

Origins

Novgorod-Seversky on the Desna was an old Severian town. At the Lyubech conference of 1097 it was assigned to the sons of Sviatoslav II of Chernigov, and it became the seat of a junior branch of the Olgovichi, second only to Chernigov itself in their lands.

Rule and society

Its princes held a frontier zone exposed to the steppe and fought the Cumans as often as they allied with them. In 1185 Prince Igor Sviatoslavich led a raid against the Cumans that ended in his defeat and capture, the subject of the Lay of Igor's Campaign. Later princes included Dmitry Koribut, a son of Algirdas.

Decline and legacy

After the Mongol invasion the land passed to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century. In 1500 Vasily Shemyachich transferred his allegiance to the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which kept the territory by the truce of 1503. Vasily III arrested Shemyachich in 1523 and abolished the principality.

Lineage

Principality of Chernigov 1024 CE – 1239 CEPrincipality of Novgorod-SeverskyGrand Duchy of Moscow 1263 CE – 1547 CE

Connections (2)

More states of Poland, Lithuania and Russia →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Novgorod-Seversky. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-novgorod-seversky
MLA
“Principality of Novgorod-Seversky.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-novgorod-seversky. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Novgorod-Seversky.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-novgorod-seversky.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Novgorod-Seversky’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-novgorod-seversky (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻